During my
time here, I have been struck by the kind, thoughtful, sweet nature of my
friends and colleagues which truly makes life here magical! The quote I’ve used
as the title for this blog really captures that feeling.
Greeting
calls are common here and an aspect of life here that I love! ‘Hazel, I am calling to greet you, have a
wonderful day, bye!’ always makes me
feel warm inside because people here are so sweet and thoughtful! I just love it
that someone thought of me. However, part of this is receiving 5.30 am greeting
calls… which I love a little less, especially on a Sunday morning! But I’d say
that we’ve chatted about these and timings have improved a little bit these
days!
One morning
was REALLY challenging...but then one of my favourite people dropped at by at
work just to tell me that they would be like the sunshine to me and always
brighten my day. Later in the day, I bumped into my best friend who told me
that God would keep me safe and that I would always have a friend in
Africa...and I spotted a student at my TTC with a team Hazel t-shirt that he'd
got made in the holidays...wow! ♥Every day I am blown away by the kindness of my friends here... as I walked through my little village a couple of weeks ago, I was presented with gifts all the way and arrived home with 3 passion fruits (my little friend spotted me as I walked along the road and climbed to the top of a tree just to pick me some of the ripest fruits), 2 avocados (another lovely friend told me to wait while she sprinted home to bring me 2 huge avocadoes she’d saved especially for me as she knows I love them) and a corn on the cob, from my neighbours who thought I’d worked very hard and looked hungry! I felt a little bit like I’d become part of a story book – Handa’s surprise or The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
Friends here
miss you terribly when you are away, as I often am, working in Kigali or at
another TTC. One friend, with an amazing way with language, was anxious that I
would not come back after I mentioned that
would be away for a few days and as I left he called ‘Wherever you are, I will find you in the atmosphere!’
I find moments like that really precious.
When you
have been away, you are ‘lost’. Friends call or text you to say ‘You are lost’ which means ‘I missed you so much’. I love this
phrase and have started to use it… but it also seems to work well in different
situations. For example, after a rainy night, I woke up to find that my village
was shrouded in mist… it was lost!
But coming
back is also very important here and I’m often inundated with messages and
visitors to my home or work telling me that I am ‘So welcome back’. Food is brought round as I must be so tired after my journey and one friend
brings his bike round in case I want to use it as he knows that I love to cycle
in the village. Children call ‘Good afternoon Hazel’ – definite progress from ‘Good morning Sir’ or sometimes just ‘Mzungu’… and they run from miles away,
along little paths when they spot me in the distance, just to throw their arms
around me and give me a hug. These
things always make it so easy to return here – I love my village!
One night I
was unwell in the night and my neighbours came to be with me just to make sure I
was ok, and they returned the next day to check on me and bring food, dashing home
in their break and lunchtimes. Colleagues also come round to make sure
everything was ok ‘We need to see that
you are ok…you are far from your home and we will look after you. We have prayed
for you and we see that God has answered our prayers as you are getting better.
Now we will leave you to rest’. Just knowing how much people care actually makes
the world of difference here.
When I
arrive at a new town, or I’m just lost in Kigali, people will come out of their
way not only to give directions but to walk with me to my destination, before
wishing me a wonderful day and continuing on their way. Sometimes they enjoy the
opportunity to ask about my life and work and practice their English, but often
it’s simply a kind gesture – nothing is too much trouble, it seems. It’s also not
uncommon for people to discretely pay your bus fare on the bus – ‘You are a guest here, it is my pleasure to
do this for you’.
As well as
experiencing incredibly kind behaviour by friends as well as strangers, I
frequently find that I’m in the middle of a truly special moment – magical times
in my village with friends or neighbours.
Occasionally
I go to church, when I am in the village on a Sunday morning. A time for quiet reflection
and singing and dancing. People here love it when I go and I often find myself accompanied
by new friends from church as we walk back into the village after the service. One
morning a lady introduced herself to me and we chatted in Kinyarwanda as
we wandered back the centre of the village. She was really happy that we were
together and we continued to walk together, sharing my umbrella, even as it
started to rain. But as I looked back, I discovered that we were not alone, in
fact about 20 other people, adults and children had formed a procession behind
us and the image has stayed with me of the trail of brightly coloured twirling
umbrellas!
There are
two rainy seasons here and I have adapted to the changing seasons. I adore the enormous thunderstorms that roll
over the village most afternoons. My Rwandan friends are definitely onto
something by going back to bed when it rains - you really can't beat curling up
in bed during a thunder storm as the rain hammers on your tin roof... and
emerging later to blue skies and sunshine for a late afternoon walk...the
village full of umbrellas, cool air and muddy puddles!
Towards the
end of the last rainy season, the village became full of sunflowers, which
stood tall and striking, against bright blue skies or thundery clouds. The
yellow flowers were a beautiful contrast to the green banana trees and red
muddy roads.
There are so many other little things that really make my day: a text from a friend one evening asking the meaning of Fuzzy and wishing me a wonderful night, an invitation from another friend to join them swimming (‘It would double my happy’), laughing as the moto drivers have races through my village when business is quiet, sitting with my neighbours shelling beans while they braid each other’s hair, dancing together in the moonlight, chatting with students in college who are desperate to read, and with friends in the village who ask me which I love the most…the moon or stars… and why?
Being here, I am always reminded of another saying I heard once (In fact I read it before one of my trips to India)...
Love wasn't put in your heart to stay
Love isn't love 'till you give it away.
... and I think its true here every day.
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